Vulnerable

I agree with Iain - it depends on the individual.

I personally don't want the "vulnerable" label, but it's useful for others who need support .

Lotus said:

I agree with Iain - it depends on the individual.

I personally don't want the "vulnerable" label, but it's useful for others who need support .

Please forgive me if this seems pedantic, but if a person doesn’t have support needs, then, per the DSM criteria, they’re simply not autistic. Having support needs is a prerequisite for a formal diagnosis. And a formal diagnosis (under any recognised classification system) means that, legally speaking, we’re all recognised as being vulnerable.

The extent to which we, as autistic people, are each aware of our needs, or willing to acknowledge them (to ourselves and/or others), can of course vary from person to person. But they exist regardless.

The neurodevelopmental nature of our differences also means that we’ll continue to suffer difficulties even when we know that we have these vulnerabilities. For example, my partner regularly points out how I continue to take things literally, and to act accordingly in response, until I’m corrected. This fact has been a source of great disappointment to me! :)

On a related note, I also personally disagree with describing our vulnerability as a “label”, but that’s a separate conversation for another day. :)

PS. I’m offering this reply as much to help others, who might read this thread and not know about the diagnostic criteria, as in reponse to you. ️

Bunny

The NHS website clearly states that some autistic poeple do not have support needs. 

VLD said:

Is a reasonable adjustment a support need then? Being allowed time out from long meetings was a reasonable adjustment but I would nit see it as a support need

Yes.

You have a diagnosis of autism, the employer respects this, and therefore is supporting you by making the reasonable adjustment.

In my jobs, I didn't know I was autistic but did have instances where I changed lighting and asked for music to be turned off. 

These requirements of mine that I now know made me vulnerable in the workplace, were sometimes supported but most often not.

I had a lot of time off sick from various jobs because of unmet needs and a few times where I walked out of a job in tears and had what I thought of as a 'breakdown'.

If I had been supported (ie my 'support needs' were recognised and respected) then I could have stayed in the jobs.

I agree, VLD. Before I retired I had to get adjustments in my workplace, but I don't see that as "support needs" and I had worked for decades before that without any adjustments. I just found that as I aged, I became less able to cope. Plus, many people need adjustments - some non autistic people may not be able to concentrate if the environment is noisy.

I see support as being a requirement for help in day to day living, which so far I have been lucky not to have needed. I have worked, some times full time and others part time, I have a long term partner and I have been running my own home and looking after my own finances since I was 18 years old. But I still have problems with non verbal communication, emotional regulation, being required to do something unexpectedly, and I have sensory sensitivities and special interests that I research extensively. Since my self discovery, I have come to understand my own needs and have put things in place to make sure I can cope much better. I don't "look" autistic, but that's because people don't realise how hard I have worked to get where I am. Autistic people are often stronger and more resilient than others realise.

VLD said:

Is a reasonable adjustment a support need then? Being allowed time out from long meetings was a reasonable adjustment

Yes :)

Is a reasonable adjustment a support need then? Being allowed time out from long meetings was a reasonable adjustment but I would nit see it as a support need,neither would I see myself as vulnerable. I think the fear I would have is having someone speak for me when I am more than capable of speaking for myself. If someone in police custody is represented  by an autistic lawyer does the lawyer then have the right to have someone speak for them. Surely vulnerability is seperate from Autism and someone might be either or both autistic and vulnerable.

Is a reasonable adjustment a support need then? Being allowed time out from long meetings was a reasonable adjustment but I would nit see it as a support need,neither would I see myself as vulnerable. I think the fear I would have is having someone speak for me when I am more than capable of speaking for myself. If someone in police custody is represented  by an autistic lawyer does the lawyer then have the right to have someone speak for them. Surely vulnerability is seperate from Autism and someone might be either or both autistic and vulnerable.

VLD said:

Is a reasonable adjustment a support need then? Being allowed time out from long meetings was a reasonable adjustment but I would nit see it as a support need

Yes.

You have a diagnosis of autism, the employer respects this, and therefore is supporting you by making the reasonable adjustment.

In my jobs, I didn't know I was autistic but did have instances where I changed lighting and asked for music to be turned off. 

These requirements of mine that I now know made me vulnerable in the workplace, were sometimes supported but most often not.

I had a lot of time off sick from various jobs because of unmet needs and a few times where I walked out of a job in tears and had what I thought of as a 'breakdown'.

If I had been supported (ie my 'support needs' were recognised and respected) then I could have stayed in the jobs.

I agree, VLD. Before I retired I had to get adjustments in my workplace, but I don't see that as "support needs" and I had worked for decades before that without any adjustments. I just found that as I aged, I became less able to cope. Plus, many people need adjustments - some non autistic people may not be able to concentrate if the environment is noisy.

I see support as being a requirement for help in day to day living, which so far I have been lucky not to have needed. I have worked, some times full time and others part time, I have a long term partner and I have been running my own home and looking after my own finances since I was 18 years old. But I still have problems with non verbal communication, emotional regulation, being required to do something unexpectedly, and I have sensory sensitivities and special interests that I research extensively. Since my self discovery, I have come to understand my own needs and have put things in place to make sure I can cope much better. I don't "look" autistic, but that's because people don't realise how hard I have worked to get where I am. Autistic people are often stronger and more resilient than others realise.

VLD said:

Is a reasonable adjustment a support need then? Being allowed time out from long meetings was a reasonable adjustment

Yes :)